I sat in bed that night, trying to think of the perfect idea that wouldn't be too hard to write. It was the first time I really let my mind roam for new ideas for a story since my last just came out of nowhere. It only took moments before something just snapped into my head.
I knew I wanted it to be a forbidden romance (romance was something I figured would be the easiest genre to start in). But what snapped in my head instantly was a relationship with a step daughter and a step father. It had to be more than that though and not a second later, I knew that I would have to make the main character 'insane'. It made it different and would be very interesting to write about, to see where I could go on that idea; a twist that would make me all the more excited to write.
The story just fell in place on it's own. Her mother would be twisted and insist she was crazy because it made it even more exciting of a story and more importantly, more exciting for me. That's something that will always come first: my pleasure I take out of what I do.
This was one of best parts about writing for me. The foundation. Because you don't need to limit yourself when you are coming up with the basics for your story. My mind was everywhere with ideas, of where all this could lead, what it could mean for each character.... My mind went in so many directions once coming up with a story because the story itself could go in unlimited directions. Some ideas are broad, some detailed. I fell asleep that night, satisfied that I had come up with what seemed to be a manageable story. Not to mention, it interested me.
That was something I knew was essential. If you get bored with your idea, it wont last and others would get bored with it too. Something I needed to follow was that I needed to write whatever I would want to read, whatever I would have found satisfying in a book. And I knew I would find my idea to be quite interesting if I was the reader.
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July 29th, 2011. It was the next day after I came up with the story and I made the account on Wattpad. I remember sitting on the couch, trying to think of what I wanted to be my user name. I wanted everything to be perfect for me on Wattpad because I knew how far I wanted to make it on this site. And at the time, every detail counted in the world I was about to create through the website. So to me, the user name, background, the little section about me... it became important too in a way. I was creating my own world and I wanted it to look nice.
I was always very protective of my writing and I didn't want anybody that I knew personally stumble upon it. So I didn't mention my name. In fact, under my profile, I put my name as Ren when in fact my first name is Marissa. Renee is my middle (which was where Ren came from). I just never liked the name Marissa so I said my name was Ren.
My user name though was quite meaningful to me. JadedViolet - Violet was the name of the main character from my first story and Jaded was something that just popped in my head at the time and I really liked it because it fit with where my stories came from - just popping into my head. Not to mention, jaded is something that means you are tired or bored of something. And I was ultimately bored and sick of the same stories on Wattpad. They were all the same to me and none of them were original enough to be satisfying.
At the time I had a different profile picture but the one I currently have now goes with my user name for the fact that the picture of the angel and the girl goes with my first story as well and match the description of characters. That first story held so much importance with me being on Wattpad; I wouldn't be here without that story so I liked involving little things that would remind me of why I am here.
After I got everything set up, I started to write of course. I remember being so unsure of how to go about doing it since I knew people would actually be reading this. I tried to do so good, tried to make it perfect to where it just sucked for the first few paragraphs (that's what happens if you try to hard. You need to just let it flow). I wasn't great with writing yet and didn't know how to start a story. After all, every time in the past I would try to start, I would redo it.
This time though, I knew I couldn't. That was the point of posting a story on Wattpad. To learn how to write and to keep at it, to get better. So I wrote out the first chapter of what at the time was just called for the time being 'Trust me'. I figured that fit well enough for the fact that nobody believed the main character and that since she was trying to get her mom's husband to believe her, 'Trust Me' was okay. Not long after that at all I changed it to 'Handcuffed Love' for the fact that I knew I wanted this to be a romance in a way, that it would be twisted, and it would be something they would be trapped in in a way. Before I did though, I had fun coming up with the character's names.
Albany Higgins. I knew I wanted her to have a name of a city. I wanted her to be named after where her father was born and that was why she was given that name. Since I know all the state capitals, I started going through each state. When I came to Albany, New York, I knew that was the perfect one. I liked how it sounded and thought it would fit well as a name for a girl. It also came to fit her personality, in my opinion. I don't recall where I came up with Higgins though. I just knew that I thought it fit nicely with the name Albany. I came up with the name Clare because I wanted a name that sounded kind of plain but one I wouldn't get bored of. I don't know where I came up with Luke though; I just thought of that name randomly I think. I kind of regret it though. I couldn't stand the name Luke after a while and every time I wrote his name, I would also get mad at myself for coming up with that name. At the time, I still didn't have a last name for Luke so he remained that way.
After spending hours of just rereading the first chapter after writing it, wondering if it was good, it was time to post it. I remember it was only four pages. At the time, I found that a decent size. I was happy with it.
It was a big moment for me really and I remember it with perfect clarity, posting the first chapter. I was sitting on my bed with the laptop in front of me, it was late at night, and when I pushed the publish button, I remember feeling different. Like this was the start of something that would soon become a constant in my life - and it did.
Of course, I got nowhere with it with just the first chapter. I wasn't stupid and wasn't prepared to see more than ten reads. I knew how it worked and if you wanted to get reads, you need to post. That will always be the something important that I have to give credit to for earning reads: actually upload your story. The more you upload, the more reads you will get I learned later.
I started writing more of the story and with only a few chapters in, I still didn't know where this story was going. I didn't know how it would end and at the time, I didn't care. It was a good story to me and that was enough for now. It was an intriguing story and it wasn't the need to get reads that kept me writing. I kept writing because it was fun and that should really be your only reason for writing. Not for recognition, not because you are good at it... because if you don't enjoy it, then what is the point?
What I didn't prepare for was when another idea hit me just as I was being to write and post this seemingly good story about the girl named Albany. I had a dream one night and it seemed to come out of nowhere.
I woke up on a beach. It was hot and sunny and there was nothing but me and the palm tree I was leaning my back against. I was struggling and breathing hard, soaking wet, and my eyes stung from just being in the ocean. Looking around me, there was no sign of people, no nothing. I knew it was an island I was on, sitting against some tree. But then, suddenly a man was in front of me. Looking up at him in wonder, I saw that it was actually my eighth grade teacher - the one I had a crush on and later told. He knelt down beside me and I noticed he was also soaking wet. He looked like a I mess compared to what he looked like before and we both realized we were stuck here, together on an island.
How did we get there? What would we do? I didn't know. Dreams always interested me because they are a form of art in a way. There is no beginning, no end... just endless questions and for this particular dream, I wanted the answers.
That is how Island Rush was born. But I ultimately abandoned the dream and went off to make my own story based on it. I'm not a fan of writing a story based around yourself in a fantasy. Because that was me in that dream. I didn't want it to be me in this newly found story. I wanted it to be someone else and I wanted it to be a different teacher. This wasn't my story. This was Janice's and Mr. Rush's.
I decided to write this story as well as the other one at the same time. So as I was writing Albany's adventure, I was starting Janice's. I was hesitant at first but I figured, why not? Nothing wrong with writing two stories. It interested me and it also would be something different to the other Teacher?Student stories on Wattpad that began to bore me. This was different and I wanted to give it a shot.
At the time when I came up with the story, it wasn't called Island Rush. That name came much later. I had no idea what to put so as a place holder, I named it 'Stranded with my Hot Teacher'. I didn't like it but it's all I could think of. Not to mention, I didn't realize just how serious I was going to make the relationship between the two main characters where soon, that title would not fit. For now, at the start of it, it was good enough.
The building blocks come from the characters. So that's what I did, I created the characters. Unlike in my first story that was to have over 50 characters, I knew only centering the book around two would help and be easier (like I wanted). So Janice Reeves - unlike Albany, I wanted her to have a more common name that sounded interesting at the same time. So I went through the list of names I made for future characters, and when I saw the name Janice, I loved it. I can't recall where Reeves came from though. When I was trying to pick out what the teacher's name would be, I didn't want it to be too original but I didn't want something I'd get bored with. Mr. Rush snapped into my heard and it sounded perfect and natural to my ears. I wasn't concerned with what his first name would be because I knew that would be revealed much later and I could think it over until then.
I remember the first words I wrote for the first chapter. It was much easier of a start than the other stories were. I realized that a good beginning was almost as important as a good ending. Because without a beginning to hook your readers, there is a good chance they wont continue reading if they get bored with the first paragraph. So I started right in the middle of where you'd expect a scene to be playing out. Other ways you can really get a reader's attention is start right off with dialogue between characters. There is a number of things that would work.
Like with my other stories, I didn't know where I was going with it. And it would have been much more organized if I had an idea at least of where the story would head. But like before, it didn't concern me at the moment like it should have. I just started writing both stories.
Every few days, I'd upload a chapter for each story. It was going quite well, actually. I didn't feel much pressure because though it was on Wattpad, it's not like I was getting much people. This was for me and me only and I didn't take the stories as seriously as I later would - which was what I wanted. I felt so involved with the story I started before coming to Wattpad and so much pressure from myself.... For the ones I just began, I treated it as if it were simple for the fact that it was. I was just being carefree with it in a way and letting myself just write naturally.
But the time I had seven chapters for Handcuffed Love and a couple for what would later be Island Rush, that carefree way I was going about it wasn't something I liked anymore. First of all, going back and forth of both stories that required me to be very involved got confusing. I kept forgetting their features because I was writing two different stories at once. I forgot what Mr. Rush would look like and would have to check on what some of Albany's characteristics were because I confused them with Janice's. And when you can't recall your character's physical appearance, you are in trouble ladies and gentlemen.
I was very detailed with each story but it was becoming too confusing - maybe because I needed to be more involved, more dedicated to each story. I felt that everything was split between these two stories. That if I were to write a book, I needed to give all of my attention to just that and not another book like I was. I knew I wanted to be a writer and if I wanted to accomplish, I would need to only focus on one story, have all thoughts revolve around that one story.... I know a lot of author's manage to write novels simultaneously. I didn't have that talent at the time so I did what I had to.
I knew I would need to chose just one story to write, to continue with. Though I started both and liked both of them, I could only handle writing one at a time. So I had to choose which one to continue with and which one to put on hold until the other one was done.
I gave it a lot of thought. And I really wanted to go with Handcuffed Love first because it was more interesting to me, it was the first one I came up with.... However, the other one just seemed much easier. It would involve more of a romance element and I knew that would be easier. Not to mention, there were less characters, less of a plot even, and less happening.
I chose to continue with writing 'Stranded with my Hot Teacher' because it was what I knew would be an easier start for me as a writer. And so, Handcuffed Love was to be left untouched until the other story was finished. I didn't realize just how long that would be.